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Painted Kitchen Cabinets

A how-to guide to revamp your cabinets without replacing them
Course: Home Before & After
Author: sisuhomemaker

Equipment

  • Screwdriver or drill
  • Paintbrushes and rollers
  • Paint trays
  • Sawhorses if wanted to prop up drying doors

Materials

  • Dish soap or liquid degreaser
  • Primer
  • Sandpaper
  • Paint
  • Painter's tape
  • Hinges and hardware

Instructions

  • Remove all the cabinet doors and hardware.
  • Cleanse all the cabinet doors and the bases. I used soap and water, but you can also use a liquid degreaser
  • If you are changing hardware and have extra holes that need to be filled (like we did), use wood filler to fill them.
  • Sand all surfaces. I used the medium grit side of a sanding block (about 100 grit).
  • Test primer for adhesion by priming a small area and allowing it to dry completely.
  • Prime all surfaces. Let dry completely (probably 24 hours).
  • Sand all surfaces again, this time with a very fine grit. Wipe off debris from sanding with a cloth.
  • Apply first coat of paint to all surfaces. Use a mini roller on all flat surfaces and an angled brush on edges, recessed areas etc. Let dry for 24+ hours.
  • Apply second coat of paint
  • We followed the information on our can of paint for directions on when the doors would be considered fully "cured" and able to be rehung and hardware installed.
  • Re-install hardware, or install new hardware, and re-hang doors.

Notes

1. I labeled my doors so that I could keep track of what went where. I placed tiny squares of painter's tape on the back of each door with a letter, corresponding to the same letter placed inside the cabinet.